Sightseeing of old and new buildings along New Road in Bangkok

The construction of the first road was built during the reign of King Rama V over a hundred years ago. We have to be thankful to the foreign diplomats, merchants, and business community for submitting a petition to the King. They were calling for a proper road where they could exercise their horses and go for long ride in their horse-drawn carriages. One could imagine that the earthen roads would be very dusty in summer months and very muddy in rainy season. So, New Road was constructed along the river. This area then became the hub of Western companies where commerce and trading started to boom bringing prosperity to many Western expatriates and Chinese immigrants who later became famous tycoons in Siam.

Some old shop-houses still survive over a hundred years of progressive development in Bangkok. Some old houses were turned into skyscrapers making more money for the developer.

But this State Tower project was disrupted during the big financial collapse some twenty years ago. Those who could remember that great Asian collapse would remember seeing unfinished skyscrapers everywhere. Now the pandemic has began to halt several projects in mid-construction phase. I wonder what has happened to those condos specifically built for Chinese buyers, those are right by the river with fantastic views.

I like the contrast between that new condo and the old house which has turned into a pawn shop. This pawn shop has been the indispensable source of emergency money for local Chinese immigrants and people for over fifty years.

I have never been inside a pawn shop before, with the pending economic collapse I might have to find out more about pawn shop procedures!

Waking past this junction where New Road is connected to Silom Road, you start seeing many shops selling silver jewelry. This is the hub for whole sale silver jewelry and a center for exporting silver jewelry and precious stones. There is another gold hub in Bangkok; it’s center is in China Town. There are many shops selling rock crystals and all kinds of mineral stones owned by people from Afghanistan and Pakistan. This new group of traders has just recently settled down in this road.

Being under lockdown, most shops are still shut and boarded up. Very few shops are open, even the shop’s cat is under lockdown.

I am glad to see that some old buildings have survived the phase of rapid real estate development during the past thirty years. The Thai style shopping mall still stands through the ebbs and flows of time. This side alley to New Road used to be where the rich Westerners and local elites mingled and flaunt their wealth.

The old style shops are opposite these old Italian style buildings. These buildings are offices of some Catholic organizations working in Thailand.

The old house as part of the Oriental Hotel is just next to the shrine for the Land Spirit at the entrance of the hotel.

The oldest luxury hotel in Siam is the Oriental Hotel which sits by the Chao Phraya River. This area was really the most fashionable area in the past with strange looking Western shops selling imported luxurious goods from France, Italy and England. The East Asiatic Company’s group of buildings was the first grand Renaissance buildings built by commercial company. This company is just opposite the Oriental Hotel.

These buildings have been sold to a Thai business tycoon and been left unattended to for so many years that they become dilapidated through time. I hope they would be repaired and renovated in the near future.

The Oriental Hotel with the smaller old building and the new wing on the left. Many famous Western writers spent several months here writing their novels. The Writer’s Lounge inside the hotel is a must for visitors to have their afternoon tea and taking some photos of the old lounge.

Being by the river, we could not leave without taking some photos of the river and sunset. This area has a deep attraction for me. I would take the boat trip to the nearby pier just to walk around and have some street food there.

Wishing you all a very nice day!

Cheers.